Just Because
by Kopy Kat
Summary: Boba Fett comes across a small girl on one of his bounties. Bossk is after her and Boba decides to beat him to the punch. However he doesn't stop to think about how exactly she got a bounty on her head at such a young age. My first story. Reviews welcome.
1. Orphans and Bounties

Full Summary: On his way to finish his latest bounty Boba Fett comes across a little girl who claims to be running from Bossk. On a whim the Mandalorian decides to steal the bounty from under his nose. The only thing he didn't take into consideration is the girl herself. As it turns out, there is a reason there is a price on her head, despite her young age.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things of worth I own are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings.

A/N:

This is the first story I have ever published. I have written several others but could never seem to finish any of them. I decided to try posting this one to see if anyone will read it. Any and all reviews are welcome, flames and criticism are both welcome. If anyone reads this, please tell me what you think.

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Boba Fett lowered his smoking blaster as his latest bounty hit the ground with a thud. It had, a few moments before, been a female Corellian who was foolish enough to try stealing from the local crime lord on this backwater planet not far from Tattoine. Then she had been brave enough to draw a kitchen knife and attack him. He might have made more of an effort to keep her alive if it had affected the amount he was to be payed but with this particular job he got as much for her dead as he did where she to be alive. He took proof that she was dead and turned to leave.

He exited the kitchen where he had apprehended his quarry and was almost at the door of the apartment when some sixth sense warned him to turn around. He brought out his blaster as he turned. He saw nothing strange. He made his way down to the street and turned into the alley where he had left his speeder bike. His warning sense went off again as he did so; only this time he didn't get a chance to turn around.

A small girl with a tangled head of brown hair tackled him at the knees and to his surprise succeeded in knocking down. She jumped on his chest she kicked off his helmet as she did so. He was somewhat bemused that such a little girl could kick so hard. Her eyes where shining with unshed tears but the look she gave him was hard and cold. She slammed her clenched fist into his face as hard as she could. He hadn't reacted yet because he was surprised, but the blow jolted him into action. He grabbed her wrists and lifted her off his chest. The child reacted a lot faster than he had anticipated, kicking him in the face as her feet came up far enough to reach. His head jerked back but he kept his grip on her hands. He flipped her onto her face and pinned her easily down with one hand. The girl struggled briefly in his grip and when she realized she could not get free she lay still, breathing hard.

Boba looked down at the small child, she could not be any older than five but she was strong and had made use of that strength in a remarkably effective way despite her small size. "Why did you attack me?" He asked gently, not wanting to frighten her.

The little girl turned ever so slightly so she could see him out of the corner of her eye. Boba noticed that she had tear streaks on her cheek, pale paths down the dirt on her face. When she spoke it was in a strong, accusing voice that had only the faintest trace of a baby accent and a slight choke from having recently cried. "You killed my Nana. Now I'm going to kill you."

He raised his eyebrow. He had heard this many times before but this was the first time he had heard it from a five year old child. "Was your nana's name Ily'a?" He asked resignedly. That was the name of his latest bounty but he usually made a point of avoiding the use of his target's name. That made the target just that, a target. A name implied a life and relatives and connections tied in with it. And, while he was perfectly capable of doing the job anyway he preferred for his bounties to be mere nameless targets.

The little girl nodded. Then she took a deep breath. The bounty hunter sighed to himself, he was certain that she was about to scream but instead, "Are you going to kill me now?"

Boba raised his eyebrow again. "Why would I do that?"

"You're Boba Fett. That famous bounty hunter. I've heard stories about you, you kill anybody who gets in your way, especially anybody who attacks you. So are you going to kill me now."

The Mandalorian looked the girl with renewed interest. "What makes you think I'm Boba Fett?"

"Are there any other Mandalorian bounty hunters?"

He smiled. "Well most five year olds don't know what Mandalorian body armor looks like, I'm impressed. But I am not going to kill you, I don't hurt children. Tell me though, if you thought I was going to kill you why did you attack me?"

She glared at him. "I told you! You KILLED my nana."

He shook his head. This had been amusing but it was high time he left. He didn't really feel comfortable with just leaving the girl on the street though, this was a rough side of town and Boba had a soft spot for children. He suspected it was because as a child he had watched his father's head be chopped off. He never really felt comfortable around them though, he could figure adults out, he knew what motivated them having study the behavior patterns of many species. Children were more difficult for him though, they had different motives. 'Well I killed her... nana? I wonder if she was her nurse or her mother.' Fett thought to himself. "Who looks after you?"

"Nana did."

"Is there anyone else who could look after you? Your Dad? A friend?"

"My Dad is dead. So's my Mom. And now that nana is dead..." She paused and sighed, then finished softly. "I don't have anyone to look after me. I guess I'm going to live on the streets again." Her muscles relaxed as she sighed.

Boba rolled his eyes. "Come on. I'll take you to the orphanage. You don't have to live on the street." He let go of one of her wrists and helped her to her feet. She turned to face him and he saw a look of panic there.

"No. Please don't take me to an orphanage! He'll kill me if I go there!"

Boba frowned. _'She's a little young to have paranoia.'_ "Who exactly is trying to get you?"

She cocked her head to the side. "I'm not sure what his name is but he's a Trandosian bounty hunter. I don't know why he's after me though. I haven't done anything that would make someone with enough money to hire a bounty hunter mad at me. All I've ever done is steal food."

He froze when he heard this, staring at the tiny figure in front of him. He had heard that Bossk was on this planet but he had not been interested enough to find out why. Then he made a snap decision. "All right then. I will not take you to an orphanage. You are coming with me."

She had been frowning at the ground trying to remember what the bounty hunter's name was. But when he said that she looked at him in shock. "What?" She whispered. The bounty hunter did not intend to repeat himself, he simply turn, dragged her over to his bike and put her on in front of him. She began to struggle violently and protesting with increasing volume. "I am not going with you! I would prefer to starve! I'd rather be dropped in the Coruscant slums with both my legs broken! Let me go, you..." At that point the girl broke off into a stream of profanity that made Boba believe she really had lived on the street at some point. He did not want to stop and discus why he had a screaming child on his bike with the local security so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a one use sedative.

Shortly afterward a speeder bike pulled up to the space port. A man in full Mandalorin armor carried a sleeping child into a strangle shaped ship then load up the bike and took off.

A/N:

I hope you enjoyed it. If anyone does decide to review, do you think I'm making Boba Fett AU? Is he talking to much?


	2. Jobs and Names

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things of worth I own are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings.

A/N: I apologize for how long this took. I will try and post a chapter next week. Thank you to the wonderful people who are reading this story.

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Boba sat quietly beside a berth in his ship, helmet in his lap. This was the only room aside from his own on the ship. He did not remember why he had told the builders to add it. The little girl lay, still unconscious, on the bed now, so he supposed he should be glad he had added it after all. He had briefly considered putting her into one of his holding cages but then decided against it. He knew there was a bounty on her because there was simply no other reason for Bossk to be after her. But he didn't know by whom or where and he really preferred to have the girl cooperate. The last time one of his bounties had inadvertently led him to taking a child prisoner the little boy had screamed for eight hours straight. If he had paused long enough to breath during that time Boba had certainly not heard. In the end he had sedated the child, misjudged the dose and been forced to make a detour to a medical center. The entire mess had resulted in being late to deliver his bounty and having to knock some credits off the price. The customer was angry at the delay but had been placated by the price reduction. He frowned ever so slightly at the memory, _'It will be much easier if the girl thinks I am trying to help her.'_

The tiny figure shifted and turned her head once. Then she blinked a few times and opened her eyes. He saw her eyes slowly focus on the ceiling, then she turned her head and looked at him. He would have winced slightly in anticipation of her screams if he had his helmet on but he had taken it off hoping to frighten her less that way. To his surprise when she saw him she did not start screaming. She backed away from him until she hit the wall and she did not take her eyes off him but she also did not scream. When she got her back to the wall she looked him up and down; he had a feeling she was taking in every detail, then she looked away from him to closely examine her surroundings. He had seen some of his older quarries do this, the ones who had experience with fighting, with escaping and running, when they where trapped with nowhere to go. They would analyze their opponent and surroundings for any possible weaknesses or escape route. It was rather disconcerting to see this done by a child.

Having finished her inspection the little girl returned her attention to the bounty hunter in front of her. She cocked her head to one side and looked him straight in the eyes, "Where am I?"

He wasn't sure what reaction he had been expecting but that was not it. Still he saw no harm in telling her. He answered in a monotone instead of allowing his surprise to show in his voice, "You are aboard my ship, the Slave 1."

The girl wrinkled her nose up as she thought about this, she looked around the room again; this time with an expression and manner closer to childish curiosity. It made the bounty hunter feel better to see her do something that was expected of her age. "So what happens now?" Her gaze was once again fixed on him.

He looked at her trying to decide what to say to her, "You are going to stay on my ship for awhile. If you behave there won't be any problems."

The little girl frowned in confusion, "What am I supposed to do?" When she saw the faint matching frown on the Mandalorin's face she elaborated, "What am I supposed to do on your ship? You must have kidnaped me for a reason. Am I supposed to clean stuff? Am I supposed to cook?"

Boba Fett looked at the small child before him staring up at his face so intently. He hadn't honestly thought about what she was supposed to do while he went to collect his bounty and investigated why exactly Bossk wanted her. Usually he simply locked his captures in one of his holding cages and left. However the child had been calm so far and he really didn't want to mess that up. He decided to see what she could do. He figured she was probably wanted because of something her parents had done but she showed evidence of having spent time in the streets, so he wasn't completely sure. There was an off chance that the child was wanted because she showed signs of being extraordinary. He realized with a start that she was still sitting in front of him waiting for an answer. 'She has patience. That is good.'

"I may have you do some cleaning in the morning. It is late, get some sleep." He stood and left the room. As he turned to close and lock the door he looked back into the room. The girl was laying down already with her eyes closed. He raised an eyebrow, 'I wonder why she decided to obey me.' As he turned to leave he realized there was one question he still needed to ask, "What is your name?" She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I don't know. I call myself Kysha." He then walked to the control room. He had a thought that he quickly suppressed as unworthy of a bounty hunter. But as he sat down in the piolet's chair it flashed into his mind again, unwanted, _'Am I really willing to turn over a five year old to some criminal because of what her parents did? She obviously doesn't remember them. Even more than that, am I truly alright with turning over this little girl to some crazy scientists because she has some unique ability that she is perhaps too young to even know about? She doesn't even know her name!'_

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A/N:  
Sorry this chapter is so short! Please let me know what you think. Any and all reviews are appreciated.


	3. Locks

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things of worth I own are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings.

A/N:

I apologize for how long this chapter took to publish. Sadly the next chapter will probably not be coming for awhile, I have Chemistry midterms coming up in a week or two. *gag, gag* I am very sorry, thank you for reading this story

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It was not a long flight to the crime lord's palace. In spite of this it took him less time to collect his bounty, refuse the Neimoidian's offer of a permanent job and get back to his ship.

The Slave 1 arrived back on Tatooine in the early morning cycle of the two suns. Boba was awake... and unhappy about it. He had gone to sleep in his chair as usual, but then he had woken sharply several times in the night to go and check on his prisoner. He vaguely recalled having read somewhere that small children woke up several times in a night needing to be fed. After getting up five times to find his charge sleeping soundly, he decided that either she was too old or THAT was what made her special. He rubbed a hand over his face as he returned to his truncated sleep.

'I definitely have to find out more about children. This is ridiculous.' He groaned softly when he saw the chronometer on the wall which now proclaimed it to be 06:00 Tatooine time. He dozed for a few moments but was awoken by the chime his control panel emitted to alert the piolet that the ship was about to drop out of hyperspace. He gave up then and manually steered the ship down to Mos Eisley spaceport.

Normally he went straight to Jabba's palace as he had much better accommodations there than anything Mos Eisley had to offer, but he needed to pick up the necessary items to care for a child. And, if he could find such a thing, a few holobooks on child raising.

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About a half an hour later Boba returned to his ship, laden down with a several bags of goods. He opened the door, walked in to the control room and put the bags on his chair. It was now his custom to check on the child as soon as he got back to the ship and that was what he intended to do but as he turned, there she was. He did not quite jump, he had better self control than that.

"What are you doing outside of your room?" He asked warily, disputing internally as to wether or not to remove his hand from his blaster pistol. He didn't think she could do him much damage but his memory flashed back to the alley and the ease with which she had taken him down. True he had been off guard at the time but she had proved that there was more to her than meets the eye.

She turned and pulled herself on to a console, sat down and started swinging her legs before she answered, "I got board. So I came out here. You never said I couldn't leave the room, just not the ship." She looked straight at him with big brown eyes and although her face was perfectly serious, the look in her eyes said that she was about to start laughing.

He sighed and started to put the bags containing his purchases in a locker by the piolet's chair. When he finished he turned back the girl who sat unmoving, watching him, this time with a slight smirk on her face. "How did you get out of the room? I locked it."

She raised an eyebrow, "You could do with some better locks in here. I guess you're just not used to having guests in your ship who aren't locked up in those cages of yours. Makes this more fun for me!"

"If the locks on my ship are so easy for you to get around, why didn't you leave while I was gone?"

The girl's expression quickly changed to a frown, "You aren't a total idiot!" Boba raised an eyebrow at that but refrained from comment. "The lock on the outside of the ship is a lot better. You probably don't want anyone stealing your ship. And I'm not stupid either. You're the best bounty hunter in the world," she dropped her eyes to look at the floor, then added in a softer voice, "and I'm less scared of you than I am of the lizzard guy."

It suddenly struck Boba that he wasn't dealing with an adult. She spoke so well and acted so mature that it was easy to forget that she was still a child. A lost, lonely, frightened child and Boba felt his parental instincts awaken. The feeling he had last night, questioning whether he could live with his newly awakened conscience if he turned this little girl over to criminals was back, and far stronger than before. He stood suddenly and shook his head hard. He knew he couldn't and not only did that do terrible things to his image as a bounty hunter, but it left him with the problem of what to do with the child now.

He stood there for a few moments, thinking. However he slowly realized that, 'Oh what is her name? Kysha!', still sat there staring at him with eyes that where getting increasingly watery. He frowned ever so slightly then decided that his best option was to just try being honest with her. "I'm not going to let Bossk anywhere near you. You are perfectly s..."

"No, I'm not!" The little girl almost wailed, "I've been kidnaped by a bounty hunter and my nana got killed and then I got left alone in a strange ship and then I could have escaped except I'm too scared and I'm an idi't and I'm probably gona get killed!" She sniffed hard and dropped her head, obviously ashamed of her outburst.

Her speech, which had until this point had been quite clear, suddenly began slipping into the way the very young spoke. He stood there, unsure of what he should do. Kysha solved the problem for him by jumping off the console and hugging him tightly. He almost jerked back but then realized she was calming down quickly and stood there, awkwardly, not sure what to do now.

She let him go after about a minute and backed away looking what Boba thought was suitably embarrassed. She stood there for a few moments, staring at the floor, turning redder and redder. Finally she raised her head and glanced up at his helmeted face, "I'm gona go back in my room now."

Then she spun on her heel and made for the door to the hallway as fast as she could with out running. Boba watched until she entered 'her' room and then slowly shook his head as he sat down. "I have got to get better locks in here."

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A/N:

Sorry this chapter is so short! Any and all feed back is welcome!


	4. Huttese

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things of worth I own are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings.

A/N:

Really quick note: Thank you Drake5 for reviewing and for giving me that idea. I was having trouble with part of the story yet to come and that solved it. Thank you!

And thank you to my other reviewers as well, Minne Sota for the encouragement and to Jessgirl for giving me my first review. I'm not sure I would have continued without you guys. Thanks!

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A small security droid in the east tower was the first to spot the Slave 1. Boba brought the ship in to land in the hanger he used regularly. He then grabbed his rifle and went to unlock the door to Kysha's room. He found her sitting on the bed, eyes wide and scared. The moment she saw him she masked the fear. He almost grinned under his helmet, _'She's better at masking her emotions than most adults I have met!'_ His voice however contained no amusement, if anything it was even colder than usual, "You will come with me. Now."

The girl ducked her head and shivered at his tone but obediently hopped down and came toward him. When she reached the doorway she stopped, unsure of what was expected of her. Boba gestured with one hand for her to go out the door. She walked in front of him out of the ship and into the winding corridors that compose Jabba's palace, looking back for directions when she came to a turn. They progressed in silence for a while, but the small child eventually broke the silence, "Where are we?" The bounty hunter did not answer, truth to tell he realized that he had been talking far to much around this girl and had decided to stop. "Where are we going?"

The bounty hunter continued walking, looking straight ahead. The little girl frowned then stopped, turned around and, placing her hands on her hips, stood there glaring at him. "Alright Mister Fett, where are we and where are we going?" The bounty hunter remained silent as he stood there, looking down at the tiny figure blocking the way. He almost burst out laughing at the defiant pose she had taken.

The little girl stood there trying to stare him down and then Boba realized something, after initially fighting him when he had started taking her to the Slave 1 she had obeyed him and behaved for the most part... until now that is. "Why have you been doing what I tell you to?" He asked suddenly.

The little girl jerked slightly in surprise then looked at him quizzically, "Do you really think I'm stupid?"

He rolled his eyes, _'why must children always answer a question with a question?'_ "No I do not. Why?"

Now it was Kysha's turn to roll her eyes, "Hello! Anybody home up there?! I have been CAPTURED by the galaxy's best bounty hunter, I was trapped, on the ship of said bounty hunter and you think that I would even consider making a pest of myself! Duh I'm going to behave! Sheesh!" The girl threw up her hands and began to stalk off, then realized that she didn't know where she was going and turned back around. "Which way? And where the heck are we anyway?!"

He sighed and shook his head, finally deciding to tell her where they where going, "We are in the palace of Jabba the Hutt. You will behave here, you will keep your mouth shut and your head down. If you try and escape there will be severe consequences. So don't."

Kysha winkled up her nose and half glared at Boba, "Why did you bring me here?"

He did not reply, he simple gestured down the hallway with his gun. She wrinkled her nose even more, then turned on her heel and marched off in the direction he had indicated. He was rather surprised. The little girl had not acted frightened; at least not frightened of him. The only fear he had seen from her was in her room just now. She seemed scared of the situation and very afraid of Bossk but... she'd been obeying him. He frowned, _'Perhaps it is not fear after all, just... common sense?'_

The odd pair soon arrived in Jabba's throne room. The bounty hunter greeted Jabba and was told that by the inexhaustible generosity of the great Jabba the Hutt he was to be permitted use of the same rooms he always used. Boba rolled his eyes behind his helmet, then turned to leave. They got as far as the door before Jabba called the bounty hunter back.

The massive alien slug asked him in Huttese about the child. Kysha raised an eyebrow responded for herself in the same language. A bit slower than Jabba had spoken but her pronunciation was better than most native speakers. "He kidnapped me. I think there might be a bounty out on me but I'm not sure," She gestured at the Mandalorian warrior, "He doesn't talk very much."

The Hutt had looked at the girl in surprise and for a few moments there was silence but then he began to laugh, "He is very tight-lipped, this one! His prisoners are usually frightened though, and most are not talkative. Why is it that you are different child?"

The little girl grinned but before answering she glanced up at the helmeted form of Mando'ad. Behind the T-shaped visor of his helmet Boba was glaring at her. He had wished with all his might that she would shut up so they could leave. He had wanted to avoid questions concerning her, partly because he was a very private person and partly because he hadn't decided yet what he was going to do with her. Somehow Kysha must have sensed the frown because she did not say anything else. She just stood there and grinned.

Boba seized the opportunity and left, pulling the grinning girl behind him without answering the Hutt. They arrived at his quarters shortly afterward and almost before the door closed he turned to her. "I told you to stay quiet! Why didn't you?" He was furious but it didn't show in the icy tone of his voice. He was worried that one of the many other bounty hunters in Jabba's employ would recognize her and after the restless night he'd had the night before he wanted to sleep.

She still had that infuriating smirk plastered on her face. "You really don't talk very much! I got bored and besides, what where you going to tell him about me?" The little girl crossed her arms and stood there, waiting for answer with an eyebrow raised.

The Mandalorian glared at her, "As you where so kind as to remind me, you are the prisoner of a very dangerous bounty hunter. I would advise that you do as I say." He had spoken in a icy tone and now pointed toward the smaller bedroom in the suite of dingy rooms. "Get in there and go to sleep. Now."

The small child's grin got wider and she spun on her heel before flouncing her way to the room indicated.

Boba shook his head, _'I really hope I wasn't like this at her age! My poor father.'_

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A/N:

Sorry about how long this took! I am still studying for the Chemistry Midterms and I probably shouldn't have taken the time to write this but I really wanted to. I have the next chapter all set up and I will post it on Saturday. Thanks for reading! as always review are appreciated!


	5. Dawns and Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things of worth I own are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings.

A/N: Yay! Finally finished with midterms! I'm sorry about how long this chapter took to show up so I made it an itty-bit bigger than the last one. If there is any thing that you didn't understand during the chapter that I don't explain at the end please let me know! I have tried to edit faithfully but I know what is going on and I may not have expressed myself clearly.

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Despite the fact that Boba had not slept the night before and he stayed up fairly late waiting for his prisoner to fall asleep he was up at the crack of dawn, _'or dawn's' _he thought wryly as he watched the double suns of Tatooine climb into the sky. He had dreamed last night.

It was the first time in years that he had a dream of any kind. He had watched his father die so often in his dreams that he had taken time away from his bounty hunting, learning every kind of meditation and self control of the mind he could find anywhere. It had worked so well that Boba hadn't had any kind of dreams for awhile but ever so often he still had a nightmare. This dream though; it had been different from the others.

_*dream*_ Boba found himself standing in the high booth overlooking the Genosian execution arena. _'No. Not again.'_ The Mandalorian found himself searching for his father's armored figure, despite of himself. He knew quite well that he would be watching him die soon. To his surprise he could not find his father in the mass of battling figures below. He turned and ran down the familiar twists and turns to the arena level. As always when he arrived on the blood stained sand the battle had moved on. He ran among the smoldering droid ruins and the bodies of the fallen organics. Then something happened that never had before, he heard a sound behind him. He spun, instantly on the alert, poised on a hair trigger. Using the skills his father had taught him and the skills he had learn on his own. He laughed at himself for it though, even as he turned. _'It's just a dream.'_

All conscious thought fled from his mind when he saw what had made the noise. His father stood there. And not the way he was so often in his dreams, his head a few feet from his body. No, this time his father was in one piece. Boba frowned slightly, his father wasn't wearing his armor, he was wearing a soft gray shirt and pants, _'Like he use to wear at home.'_ Boba thought. "Dad?"

The figure, which Boba now realized was floating, smiled. The galaxy's toughest bounty hunter felt tears welling up in his eyes, that smile brought back so many memories. He hadn't seen it very often, only when his father was truly happy with him, or very proud. "Hello son."

Boba stepped forward but Jango put up a warning hand, "Don't try and touch me. It will not work. I can only stay for a short time." Then he smiled again. "Boba... I am so proud of you! I was proud of you when you where young and as you've gotten older I just get more and more proud. I am honored to be able to call you my son!"

Boba smiled back, fighting the tears. "Thanks Dad!" Even with those simple words he managed to convey the depths of his emotions. One advantage of not talking much is that you learn how to say what you mean in very few words. "Dad I have so many questions. And I'm so sorry for losing your money and..."

The figure of Jango Fett had again put up his hand. "Boba, it became your money the moment I died. I am not angry with you for losing it, you never made that mistake again. It taught you the value of earning money yourself and you learned how to survive without it."

Boba gave a sigh of relief, ever since he had lost his father's fortune to a cheap swindler he had secretly thought that his father would be very angry with him. This was a relief.

His father's shape straightened. "Boba, I must go but first I must give you some advice. This child you found, Kysha, do not be afraid to listen to your heart in this question of what to do with her. Emotions are not all bad. She has great potential as a bounty hunter, with the right training. " Jango's voice began to fade and his already transparent body was becoming less substantial by the minute. "And we do sometimes have children." The ghost, now almost gone, moved forward and brushed against Boba's forehead, then shot into the sky above his head and was lost in the glare of the sun. _*dream*_

Boba had suddenly woke up in his own bed in Jabba's palace but it wasn't the way it usually it was. When he woke up he was calm and relaxed instead of panicked and sweaty. He sat up slowly and took a deep breath. He knew he wasn't going to sleep any more now so he got up. And now here he was. Watching the double suns rise.

His conscience, which a few days before he would have sworn was dead and gone, was bothering him again. _'I have to find out who has the bounty out on Kysha before she causes me any _more_ problems. What did my father mean?' _Boba had a sneaking suspicion itching at the back of his mind that he knew exactly what his father wanted. He shook the thought from his head and back the problem of what to do with Kysha.

Suddenly he realized he had yet to check the most obvious place. Boba was fighting an urge to hit himself in the head, _'I didn't even think to check the bounty listings on the holonet... I have got to get rid of this girl! She is distracting and annoying and an unwanted pest!'_

He sat down at the grimy console provided and began to type. He quickly began do scan through the files, starting with the bounties that would pay highest and working his way down. Since he did not have her real name he had to match descriptions. However his search was made easier by the fact that there are relatively few bounties posted for human children under the age of ten. He went through the entire list but did not find even a mention of her anywhere. He sighed as he flipped back to the top of the postings. He let his eyes wander across the screen as he decided what to do next. Then he froze and clicked on one of the postings. As he read it he realized why he had missed it before. It was a posting for a brown haired, brown eyed humanoid life form, not a human. He wondered about that for a moment then understood when he read more.

This bounty had not been put out by some wealthy crime lord looking for revenge, it was a posting made by a group of scientists Boba had never heard of before. The listing did not give much information so the Mando'ad turned to other sources. He ran the name of the group through a public scanner and got only a small amount of information but when he ran the scientists' names through his stolen link to the galactic senate's network he turned up a summary of their work. It was attached to their request for a government funding grant. The more of the proposal he read the more furious he because. They were trying to prove that humans where superior to other races in every way. And not just superior to aliens lifeforms as the empire had been trying to prove for years; but superior to all other humanoid life forms. From what he read, and he would be the first to admit that he was not an expert on such things, it was a bunch of racist propaganda. They had even proposed that any other species within the empire be eradicated or enslaved. They had proposed to limit the numbers of children that alien races are aloud to have.

Boba shook his head in disgust. This was no professional experiment. This was an attempt to kill those who where different from what the scientists thought was right.

When he had calmed himself sufficiently to continue reading he skipped the rest of the proposal summary and on to the senate report. The senate had turned it down, _'Well. There is still some sense among politicians. Who knew!'_ Boba thought dryly. After being rejected by the senate the group had been funded by a rich banker on Coresant. Boba frowned, he had heard that this particular banker was a money front for the operations of a drug lord who had taken control of several other systems. He had heard little of this man except that he was the most ruthless of the outer rim crime lords.

He flipped the console off and leaned back. _'What do I do now?' _

~sw~sw~sw~

A/N:

Okay there is children's series by Elizabeth Hand. The first book is called 'Boba Fett: hunted.' It is a series about how Boba went from being a young kid, who was also a clone that got to see his dad killed in front of him, to being a feared and respected bounty hunter. One of the things that happens to him is he gets cheated out of the fortune his father left him. I likely refer to them again and I will try to explain the reference each time. Also, thank you to Drake 5 who gave me the idea for having Jango appear to Boba in a dream. Thank you guys for being so awesome and taking the time to read my story!


	6. Decisions and Duros

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things I own worth taking are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings.

A/N:

I just realized that I not yet said when this episode takes place. Honestly I'm not sure when this part of it takes place. I don't think it really matters just yet, when we get to the part that ties in (sortof) with the cannon story I will let you know were in the time line that is.

~sw~sw~sw~

Boba sat in a chair, thinking. He was going over his options in his mind. _'I could be the ruthless bounty hunter everyone __knows__ I am and turn her in for the credits. Or... I could take her to an orphanage. Simple, two choices. Either I get the money or I don't get the money.' _The only problem with this argument was that he knew that if he took her to some orphanage, some other bounty hunter would find her. The sum was large enough that many would be interested and because it was a little girl it should be easy. He didn't particularly want this kid to get hurt but... he didn't really see another way out of it. He absolutely refused to even think about what his father had suggested. He slowly began to drift off to sleep as he sat there thinking. He realized that he was asleep when he was jerked awake and alert by a crash from the back room. It took him a few seconds to realize that the sound had come from the room he had sent Kysha too. He drew his blaster from its holster on his leg as he made his way cautiously down the hall. He paused at the door, wondering if he should listen to his instincts and kick the door in or just knock.

He heard a faint whimper and smashed the door with a booted foot without pausing to think anymore. He saw a large dark shape looming over a smaller figure on the floor. His blaster came up faster than the human eye could follow, but the dark figure had already begun turning. The shadow dropped flat to avoid the first shot and then leaped up and to the side to avoid the second. Boba did not get a chance to fire a third shot because the dark shadow leaped at him and kicked the blaster away. The mandalorian bounty hunter was annoyed that he had missed for a fraction of a second; then he stopped actively thinking allowing instinct and years of experience to take over. He swayed backward just far enough to be out of the line of force when his assailant swung at him again. He caught the kick that came at him next and twisted sharply. There was a dull popping sound and his assailant staggered, then went down. Boba reached for his other blaster but the figure on the ground grabbed his ankle and yanked, hard. Boba grunted as he hit the floor. Then he grunted again when the shape struck him hard in the head. There was a pop as the seal on his helmet came off and Boba winced as his assailant slammed his head into the hard floor. After a brief struggle Boba found himself pinned down. Ironically it was only now he got a good look at the figure, glowing red eyes in a dark face. He was fighting a Duros. The alien raised a vibroblade and Boba had an odd moment of calm. _'I never thought it would end this way. I always pictured myself going out in a blaze of glory.' _He laughed briefly at himself. Bounty hunters rarely went out 'in a blaze of glory'. And even then it tended to be only the inexperienced ones who got themselves in such a position. The really good bounty hunters usually were killed after retirement, by a shot in the back or like this, a surprise attack. His eyes fastened on the vibroblade as it began its downward stroke.

Suddenly the Duros was knocked hard to the side. The tinny shape on the floor had recovered enough to see what was going on and promptly kicked the alien in the head. That single brief moment of shock was all Boba needed to turn the fight around. He quickly overpowered his opponent and stunned him. As he lock the alien's wrists together with binders he glanced over at his unexpected helper. She was sitting on the bed watching with wide eyes. He finished the job and, standing, walked over to the girl. "Are you injured?" She shook her head, eyes still wide.

"Mister Fett? Is that man a bounty hunter too?" She looked up at his face. "Are you hurt?

The Mandalorian bounty hunter looked himself over, then shook his head. "I am fine." He used the toe of his boot to flip the prisoner, who was lying on his stomach, over. Now that he got a good look at him he recognized the face. He was one of the many small time bounty hunters Jabba employed as an enforcer. "Go back to sleep. No one else will be bothering us tonight." Then lifting the bound figure of his opponent to his shoulder he left the room.

Boba did not sleep any more that night, he stayed awake and on guard. By morning he had had enough time to get very angry and far too much time to think. He had decided that it was far to dangerous to keep Kysha here; obviously at least one of the bounty hunters at recognized her from the bounty postings. He had to do something fast.

Boba decided that he would do the easiest thing and turn her in.

The next morning Boba woke the little girl up at dawn and wordlessly gave her a change of clothes. She seemed to realize that he was in a bad mood that morning and headed to the 'fresher without a complaint. He waited in her room to make sure she finished as fast as possible. She was out in five minutes and he simply pointed toward the door. She went out the door and where he told her. At the doorway to Jabba's throne room he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him. "Do not try anything funny today. Do you understand?" He practically hissed at her. She gave a single nod and Boba turned and walked into Jabba's throne room only to be greeted by a chorus of snores. _'Of course they're all asleep idiot. They were partying all night! Jabba sent you an invitation.'_ Boba did not have the slightest intention of letting this slow him down though. He walked right up to Jabba's throne and then stood there a few moments considering how to best rouse a fat, slobbering Hutt, who is sound asleep and snoring. He finally settled on poking him hard with the handle of a vibroblade he found on the floor. He defiantly wasn't going to touch the filthy creature with any of his weapons, it would take too long to clean afterward. The massive slug stirred slightly and eventually woke under the none to gentle prodding. Jabba blinked open his eyes and took a deep breath to bellow his outrage but didn't when he saw who it was that had roused him from his sleep.

"Ah! Fett! You are most welcome in my court at any time! But..." The crime lord snuck a look at the chronometer on the wall. "could you not have waited for a more civilized hour?"

Kysha flicked a slight smile at the word civilized being spoken by a Hutt but after taking a swift peak at her captor's face she decided against making a comment.

Boba Fett on the other hand was not amused. "No Jabba, I could not. I have urgent business else where and I wished to inform you of an occurrence which I found most displeasing. I was attack in my rooms last night. You will find the Duros who did it in a closet in my quarters. On my return I hope to hear that he was suitably punished."

The Mandalorian, having said his piece, turned on his heel and swept out of the room, leaving his small captive to run in order to keep up. She caught up to him after a few turns in the hallway and then had to jog to keep up.

The rest of the journey through the palace was preformed in silence but when they got to the ship and Boba began the lift off sequence Kysha could not keep still any longer. "Mister Fett, where are we going?" She paused and looked at him as if she expected an answer. She didn't get it. "Why are you upset? Did I do something wrong?"

For some reason Boba found her questions to be many times more irritating now than they were normally. He did not look at his prisoner when he spoke, "You will go to your room at once and you will stay there until I tell you otherwise." She attempted to say something but Boba spoke over her without raising his voice. "If you do not or you try and get out of your room at any point during this trip I will lock you up. Do you understand?"

The little girl nodded and after searching that cold t-shaped visor for a few moments, looking for any sign of what she had done wrong, she stood up and left the bridge. Boba listened until he heard the door at the end of the passage way close and then he took off his helmet and rubbed his head. "What is wrong with me?" He asked the empty air. He glance out the viewport as the ship left Tatooine and for a split-second he thought he saw the shape of his father, hanging in space. Then he shook his head and the image was gone. _'It was probably just a trick of the light.'_ He dropped his head into his hands. If it had been his father's ghost out there... then Boba knew exactly what he had wanted. _"We do sometimes have children." _That was what his father had said. "Thanks dad. That helps." Boba's voice sounded sarcastic even to him.

~sw~sw~sw~

A/N:

Anybody have any thoughts? What did you guys think of the fight? I had trouble with it. Please review!


	7. Silence and Conversations

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things of worth I own are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings.

A/N:

I am so so so sorry! I know anyone who is still reading this has every right to be furious with chapter was hard though. I've had the basic idea down from very early on but I had trouble actually writing it. I was trying to write emotion for an emotionless bounty hunter and I had a family member I was close to die recently so, writing any emotion other than grief is being hard. And I just realized that I don't have a disclaimer on this story so I am going to add one to all of the previous chapters. With out any more excuses I give you this continuation of the story.

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Praxus Dex was an unexciting, dull brown, mud ball. Its sole redeeming feature was the large deposited of an ore containing a rare chemical used in manufacturing high grade sanitizers. That, and the scientists who currently worked in a lab below the surface; which is what had drawn this particular visitor.

Boba Fett set the Slave 1 down carefully; the surface of the planet would allow for no other type of landing, pockmarked as it was from the mining that had taken place both on and below the surface.

Boba landed the ship and then primed his blaster rifle before going to unlock the door to Kysha's room. He didn't even speak this time, simply gesturing for her to leave the room with the gun. She looked up at him and then, perhaps because she had seen something significant in the harsh, cold t-shaped visor, she dropped her gaze to the floor and did as instructed.

Boba was surprised at how much his captive's silence bothered him. Usually she was annoyingly cheerful and pert. It had been driving him nuts only the day before. But, today... today there were no witty remarks. There was not a trace of impudent attitude to be seen. She was very quite and downcast, almost as if she didn't care what happened to her, and she absolutely refused to look at him. In silence the pair made their way across the pitted surface of the mine-scared planet. Boba had decided he liked her better when she was being annoying, bouncy and hyper. Her silence, the way she refused to look up, was beginning to awaken tinges of what Boba only faintly recognized as guilt. This only served to make him more angry than he already was.

He was only doing what he had to; it was what he had done all his life to survive, this was no different. It was for the money and the little girl didn't have any other options so it really didn't matter all that much.

At least this was what the great Mandalorian bounty hunter told himself as the strange pair made their way through an unimpressive set of doors and into the underground complex. The farther he walked, the madder he got.

By the time he reached the desk he was teetering on the edge of losing control. The slight, elderly secretary behind it almost asked him to wait but before she spoke she looked up at the armored figure before her and seemed to sense that that was not a good idea at the moment. He practically growled his name at her and she picked up a communicator from the desk in front of her with a slightly shaky hand to speak into it, "A Mister Fett here to see Dr. K'siara."

A few seconds later the answer came through, _"Let him come in."_ Apparently they had been waiting for him. This did nothing improve the bounty hunter's mood. He grabbed Kysha's wrist and pulled her through the door that opened. Again she went with him without complaint or comment. That was the final straw for Boba. He entered the corridor hauling Kysha behind him, slammed the door shut, and shot the video camera out of the wall. Then he spun to glare at his captive, "WHAT are you doing?"

Kysha blinked once, twice then looked up at him and cocked her head to the side. "Um, following a creepy Mandalorian to my death?" She winced a little at his reaction and muttered under her breath, "Kidding! Sheesh."

Boba had not been this angry since he last laid eyes on the jedi who killed his father. "That is NOT what I meant and you know it!" His voice suddenly became very calm. Boba had reached the point where he was so furious he did not know what to do about it. And the worst part was, he wasn't entirely sure who he was angry at. "You know I am going to turn you over for the bounty. Why aren't you fighting me? Or at least making snippy comments?"

The little girl crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "And exactly what effect are snippy comments going to have?" She sighed and dropped the cheery attitude that had showed itself for a moment. "Mister Fett, I... I'm sorry that I have been causing you problems. And I'm sorry about my attitude. I..." She stopped again. The child seemed very nervous about what ever she was about to say. Then she lifted her head and looked him straight in the eyes. "I was being that way because I... well I like you and you seem like a nice man. I was trying to... Oh I don't know what I was trying to do! I'm sorry, I just." She trailed off and dropped her gaze again. "Can you just take me where ever we are going? Please?!"

The little girl turned and began walking down the hall. Even from the back she looked the picture of despondence. Boba stood frozen in the hall way. _'She, she must have latched on to me as authority figure.'_ Boba had read about this in one of the parenting books he had purchased on Tatooine. Sometimes children who had lost parents would pick the nearest adult that they trusted and sort of hold them as an authority figure. _'Why would she pick me? I've been keeping her prisoner.'_ But his agile mind had already figured it out. He had 'saved' her from the trandosian, and kept her fed and warm. _'If it takes that little to make her decide that I am worth trusting...'_ Trust was something Boba had trouble with. He suspected it was because he had watched his father die at a very young age. The bounty hunter turned away from the girl, his certainty that he was doing the right thing vanished. _'She trusts me. Or... she did trust me, for a little while. And I am planning on turning her over to a lot of crack pot scientists? What kind of a person am I?' _Boba stood there staring at the wall for a few moments. He almost whipped out his blaster when Kysha tugged on his belt but not quite. She looked very upset, almost as if she could tell she had done something to make him mad. "Mister Fett? I'm sorry. I'm... I really don't want to be a problem." At this point the tiny child was beginning to tear up. "I'm not quite sure why I said that. I know better than to trust an adult..." She paused, looking even more upset, her bottom lip trembling. "I'm sorry. Can we please get this over with?" She looked at him and her tiny face was suddenly very serious.

Boba stood there, outwardly calm staring at her for a few minutes; it was but a facade because what was raging through his mind was anything but calm. _'She knows a little bit about fighting, that's true but she is likely no where near the Mandalorian level of training... She is so young, she could learn. She is an __aruetii__,'_ That just brought back the dream he'd had. _'We sometimes have children too.'_ His father had been adopted, he had chosen to have a son. It was very much the mando way to adopt children, it wasn't quite as common but a mando adopting an aruetii was by no means unheard of. _'Why this child? If my father want's me to adopt someone, why now? Why this kid? What is so special about her? She is annoying, she is argumentative and she doesn't ob...'_ Then he had to stop, and cold clear acceptance washed over him. _'The only time so far she disobeyed me was in Jabba's throne room; and... she was trying to help me. She showed then that she is willing to obey but she will also use her judgment. If she was a soldier that would be a problem, but she will be a bounty hunter, I could teach her to...'_ Boba stopped that train of thought right there. Then he sighed, sooner or later he would have to think about this and he preferred to do it now, when he could still do something about it. _'I already know I want to pass on __what I have learned some day. To do otherwise would be dishonor my father's memory. And this girl is in a position were she needs someone... Do I truly have a reason not to take her? She has showed so far is that she is a remarkable individual, she can fight, she does not scare easily but she is not one of those fools who feel no fear.'_ There had been occasions before in Boba's life that he could have adopted someone, or taken on an apprentice. There had been some very likely prospects, but this tiny child had something none of the others had; his father's approval.

Boba took a deep breath, that settled it. He would adopt the girl. Now he just had to decide what to do with the mess he had created by bringing her to this place. He had a feeling that if these scientists wanted her that bad they wouldn't just _let_ her go.

~sw~sw~sw~

FYI: aruetii means _outsider or traitor_.

So, hope you enjoyed it sorry it's so short. Unfortunately it may be a while until the next chapter is up because we are moving. But it may be a shorter wait because I am going to enjoy the next chapter. I may edit this chapter later because it didn't come out quite right.

Thank you so much for reading and please review! Constructive criticism, pointing out errors and flamers all welcome. I am desperate here people! Please!


	8. Blasters and Knives

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things I own worth taking are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings. And my dog, although she would argue about who exactly is the boss around here.

A/N:

I am really, really sorry that this chapter took so ridiculously long but I had serious problems. Our internet connection went out for several weeks and then when we got it back, my user (the one with all my documents and notes and stuff) decided it was going to throw a fit. It still isn't working so I had to right all of this on an email. Sooo if anyone is still reading this after so long then thank you very much and enjoy. I tried to make this chapter longer as a slight compensation.

~sw~sw~sw~

Dr. Robert K'siara was in his office, arranging papers. Only a few moments before his secretary had called to let him know that Boba Fett was there with the little girl. He wasn't sure which he was more nervous about having in his facility, the bounty hunter or his employer. He knew the Mandalorian's reputation of course. He was the best, he was known for putting a smoking hole through anyone who got in his way. But the scientist had never met the man, for all he knew these could be simple rumors; Fabrications created to impose mortal terror on his victims, making his job easier. What the scientist did have was first hand experience of the man he now lived in fear of.

When the shadowy man had first contacted him with an offer to finance his project the scientist had jumped at the opportunity. Now he wished he had taken more time to consider just what that offer was. The man had made good his word and provided them with all the equipment they requested, top of line and built to the highest standards.

Then he had taken a personal interest in their progress. They were at that time testing which races were more susceptible to different diseases. At of course, with proper selection of data, the results were that humans are superior to all other species. At a certain point he had demanded that they run some of these tests on a set of data and a tissue sample he produced. He refused to tell them where it had come from. The tests the scientist could do without the subject in front of him were limited but he ran what he could, what he found was... surprising to say the least.

Whoever or whatever the subject had been it was highly adaptive and likely very physically strong. The small tissue sample he had in his possession had been capable of reproducing destroyed body cells and repairing itself even though it was separated from the specimen. The head-scientist had made timid inquiries to his employer as to where exactly the samples had come from, and if it would be possible for him to actually get one of the subject species to run some tests on. He had nearly had his head ripped from his shoulders for his trouble... literally. His employer carried a rather large knife with him at all times and Dr. K'siara had found it at his throat the second the question left his mouth.

The part of the situation that confused him was that a few days later the man had come back and told him to post a document he gave him on a bounty hunters' job listing and to expect his subject to arrive shortly. He had also informed the doctor that when the bounty hunter did arrive with his captive he was to pay him and get him out of there immediately. He would be back to oversee the testing himself. The doctor wasn't sure what was going on but the further he got into this mess the less he liked it.

The man sat in his chair staring at the door which he expected the bounty hunter to come through, wringing his sweaty hands. Because of this he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard someone say his name behind him. He spun and was not sure if he should be more afraid or relieved to find that it was his employer standing behind him. "Doctor, has the specimen arrived yet?"

The man shook his head and tried to respond without his voice cracking; he was almost successful. "Y, yes, sir. The bounty hunter arrived with the prisoner just a few (ahem) moments ago. He is on his way here right now. I..."

What ever he had been about to say was interrupted by the door banging open. And there stood Boba Fett. Taking a deep breath the scientist realized that it was quite possible there was some merit to those stories after all.

Boba slowly scanned the room, he had not yet told Kysha what he intended to do. She still thought that he was going to turn her in for the bounty. He could have told her but he decided it would take too long and if... no he corrected himself, because she was going to be working with him and under him for a while she would have to learn to figure out what he was doing. When he thought about this later it didn't seem quite fair to her but he just decided to jump out of a space ship with out a jet pack, so to speak. What he saw before him only served to fill the bounty hunter with contempt.

Behind a desk toward the back of the room sat a slightly over-weight, balding man, staring, terrified at the mandalorian who had just entered his office. Behind him, apparently the person he had been talking to before Boba's entrance was a tall man wearing dark nondescript clothing. This man, unlike the scientist, looked like he could give even Boba pause if he so chose. It wasn't any one thing about him in particular, it was simply an air, the very way that he held himself said 'don't mess with me'. Boba had his hand on Kysha's shoulder and the girl looked around the room, then looked up at Boba. She looked rather sad but she gave him a smile anyway. The bounty hunter had been told that he was to turn the girl over to Dr. K'siara, he wasn't sure which one was the scientist but since they were both behind the desk he didn't have to figure it out. He walked quickly up to the desk with Kysha walking in front of him. "Doctor K'siara."

The man in the white lab coat turned fully around and looked at him, clearing his throat nervously. "I... good day. I am prepared to receive custody of the bounty now." He hit a button on his desk and three or four burly armed guards came in.

Boba looked the guards over once, slowly, then, almost dismissively turned back the balding scientist. "I am not here to turn this girl over to you. I am here to tell you to back off. Do not try sending out another bounty on her, she is now under my protection." With that being said Boba turned to leave. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Kysha had looked at him incredulously when he started talking. She had quickly gotten herself back under control and simple stared ahead at the desk in front of her. Dr. K'isara was not quite so quick to cover his surprise. He stared at the Mandalorian for a few seconds but Boba did not intend to stand there all day so that he could be stared at and he was already have way to the door with Kysha walking in front of him before the scientist recovered enough to speak.

"Wait! Stop." The man took a deep breath and finally decided that he was in fact more scared of his boss than he was of this Mandalorian. But he still felt a chill when that faceless helmet turned back toward him. "Who, whoever is paying you to protect her, I... I'll double it."

The bounty hunter didn't even deign to reply he simply turned back toward the door.

"I'm afraid that I can not actually let you leave." This came from the shadowy figure in the back of the room. Boba did not turn around, so he was facing Kysha when her shoulders went completely ridged. She had shown no reaction to either of their faces but apparently she recognized this voice.

Boba spoke without turning around. "Do you really think you can stop me?"

"Yes"

The mandalorian bounty hunter put his hand on the girl's shoulder, "could you get to the ship without being seen?" the child nodded. Still speaking under his breath he gave her a little push toward the door. "Go, get to the ship. Don't let anyone see you." She nodded again and when Boba turned to face his opponent she began quietly edging her way to the door.

When Boba turned around the figure began to move. As he came around the desk and stepped into the light the bounty hunter could see more of his features. The man who had put out a bounty on Kysha was only a little taller than average height, had black hair and dark eyes, and was well muscled. Boba found it difficult to judge his age; he could have been anywhere from thirty to sixty.

The Mandalorian rolled his shoulders just a bit as he drew his blaster. "I am going to give you just one more chance to walk away before I kill you."

The man grinned and crouched, pulling out an old fashioned looking, long knife with one hand and pulling out a blaster with the other. "Thanks for the offer but I'd kind of like to see how this plays out."

Boba raised an eyebrow at the old looking weapon, it wasn't even a vibroblade. It was simply a piece of sharp metal with a handle on it. Boba simply shrugged it off. If the idiot didn't have the brains to use a real weapon when foolishly challenging a Mandalorian bounty hunter, then he deserved everything he had coming.

Boba shifted his weight as he drew his blasters, "Go on. I'll let you have the first shot."

Grinning, the dark figure bowed slightly as he slide forward. When he was about halfway across the distance between them he suddenly shouted to the guards "After the girl!", then there was a blur of movement and a blaster bolt struck Boba square in the chest. The heavily re-enforced armor held but the force of the impact drove him back a few steps. His own blaster had come up the instant he saw the flash and he was now firing back. Three bolts of light were fired by the time Boba regained steady footing and all three met their target in the dark man's chest. There was no sound or splatter to indicate that they had encountered body armor, but the man did not even stagger. He gave no indication that he had just been shot; instead he raised his head and grinned at the Mandalorian, showing perfect white teeth.

"You see, bounty hunter, in this instance you are in over your head. You do not understand the forces at work here. Now I will be the one to give you a chance," He straightened. "Leave now and I will let you live."

Boba snorted, "You obviously don't know much about Mandalorians."

"I know more than you might think." When Boba didn't budge the dark eyed man sighed. "Ah well. I didn't really expect you to show such sense. Go on, you may have the first shot."

Boba growled ever so softly, whipping his blaster up and squeezing off several shots, almost before the insult had time to register with him. As fast as Boba was, the tall dark man moved faster. Even as Boba's blaster was coming up, the shadow figure had already slide to the side, so as to be out of the line of fire, and forward. He was moving so smoothly that he really did not look like he was going that fast; unless you happened to notice the scenery rapidly sliding along behind him and then he looked like he was moving pretty fast.

Before Boba could get off another shot the man was right in front of him. Boba lashed out quickly with the hand that held the blaster, but again this odd man was faster. He grabbed the wrist gantlet and hauled Boba closer. The fact that Boba hadn't been expecting such a move meant that he was slightly off balance, thus making this easy for Dr. K'isara's employer.

Almost before Boba knew what was going on he was on his knees with his wrist twisted up and back at an awkward angle, his blaster resting in the palm of his opponent. It had happened so fast Boba hadn't really had time to think and now, on his knees with no way out that didn't involve tearing his own arm off, the only thing he could think of was, _'shab, that was stupid! I haven't been beaten that badly or that quickly since that thing with the null ARCs on Kamino.'_ * The distinctive whine of his blaster powering up quickly brought him out of his half-stupor. He turned his head, and looked straight up the barrel of his own weapon. Then he looked beyond it to the smiling face of his opponent.

"You have a very quick draw. I was simply going to kill you but now that I have seen a very small portion of what you can do I would like to extend an offer. If you agree to work for me I will let you live."

Boba raised an eyebrow behind his b'yce, _'this guy doesn't know very much about the Mando'a, to even OFFER such a thing.' _Boba then gave the only response a Mando'a could give in such a situation. "Go to..."

The rest of his statement was drowned out by a blaster bolt going right past his head. The dark man spun, still keeping his grip on Boba's arm. Boba turned his head and behind the distinctive T-shaped mandalorian helmet his eyes widened. Kysha stood by the door, holding his other blaster with both hands. The moment the dark man turn enough toward her that she had a clear shot at his chest she took it. And she didn't simply squeeze of one shot and then stand there staring to see what she had hit. Instead she landed three shots in rapid sequence, accurately, moved the blaster and shot him in the wrist that held the blaster. This had the desired effect of both getting him to drop the weapon and let go of Boba's arm_. _

The bounty hunter rose shakily, picked up his blaster and walked backward to were Kysha stood waiting. He opened the door and was backing out when the dark man suddenly lunged to his feet. Boba of course instantly shot him multiple times, his instincts were too deeply ingrained to do anything else, but he was proud of Kysha who also let loose a burst of fire.

The second the odd pair was out the door Boba slammed it and fused the lock then he picked Kysha up and ran toward his ship.

He made it very quickly, dropping Kysha in the co-pilot's seat as he started the take-off sequence. Just as the engines fired up an alarm started to blink on the command panel. There were several ships moving in at high velocity with their weapons powered up, as well as a couple drone ships.

_'Wow. They really don't want her to get away. I think I'm starting to see why she is so special now. I'll have to find out what else she can do.' _

The blaster fire from the approaching vessels rocked the Slave 1 even with the deflector screens up. The upgraded firespray took off just as the leading drone ship came in to range. The ship blasted toward the upper atmosphere fast.

By the time the starship hit the outer edge of the atmosphere they had gained several kilometer on the pursuing vessels. Boba began punching the necessary commands into the computer for a hyperspace jump. The ship rocked as the vessels from the scientists' outpost came closer. Boba glanced back quickly, curious to see how Kysha was handling the situation. She was sitting very up right in her chair watching him, the view-port and the readouts on the various screen intently. When she saw him looking at her she smiled brightly.

"Can I do something to help, sir?"

Boba opened his mouth then closed it. He had been about to say no but... he had decided to train her, why not start now? "Come up here." He gestured to the co-pilot's seat beside him.

Kysha unfastened the safety strap on her chair and walked forward quickly. Despite the fact that the ship was still being rocked by laser blasts she kept her balance well. Sitting down she clipped her safe belt back on and looked expectantly at Boba. He continued punching orders into the navigational system with one hand as he pointed to the panel in front of Kysha.

"Do you see that red button right there?"

The little girl nodded, "That activates the rear laser cannons. Push it." She did.

The panel open and some controls clicked into place. Boba quickly told her how to work them then told her to try and hit the ships that where following them. A few seconds later he finished programing the computer but did not send the ship into hyperspace just yet, he wanted to see how the little girl did. She lined up the guns with one of the pursuing ships exactly as he had told her and fired a stream of bright red laser at it. When the second ship disappeared in a sudden hail of parts Boba smiled and hit the control that sent them flying off into the warped reality that was hyperspace.

~sw~sw~sw~

* there is a reference to this event (this event being my favorite character getting his Mandalorian shebs handed to him by a bunch of my second favorite characters: the null ARCs) in the Republic commando series. I defiantly recommend them as they are lots of fun and very cool. Although I was rather disappointed at the end of 'Order Sixty-six' I seriously thought they were going to save a character I really like and they didn't. But I diverse (again!)

A/N:

Please, please, please review. It really will make me update faster! If there are any questions or if I messed anything up let me know, please!

Also. In an effort to update faster I have already started writing the next chapter but if there is anyone reading this story out there I need your opinion. Do you think I should have Boba actually adopt Kysha next chapter or not? If I don't hear back I'm just going to do my own thing so please review. Pretty please?


	9. Adoption

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things I own worth taking are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings. And my dog, although she would argue about who exactly is the boss around here.

A/N:

Thank you Drake5 for reviewing! I appreciate it. And thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter as well as everyone who has added this story to their favorites or to their alert list. It is reassuring to know that some one is reading this.

~sw~sw~sw~

Back on Praxus Dex the dark man had struggled with the door Boba had fused shut for a few moments, then ordered the star ships guarding the complex to pursue the intruder he was sure had gotten to his own vessel by then. Pacing back and forth, he waited. When the report came in that they had gotten away the crime lord had smashed his fist against the sealed door, furious that he had once again allowed his prize to slip through his fingers. If he had managed to get out of the room he was sure he could have stopped them. He cursed violently and hit the door again.

The whimper from the back of the room reminded him of the room's other occupant and an ugly smile slowly crept across his features. He turned to the scientist cowering beneath his desk. This man of learning did not know it yet but there was a painfully high price for disappointing him. And the crime lord intended to see to it that he paid in full. Dr. K'siara had seen his last smog-filled sunset.

~sw~sw~sw~

Boba was sitting in the pilot's chair on the bridge aboard the Slave 1. The little girl sat in the co-pilot's chair next to him watching his face. He had taken off his helmet to make her feel a bit more comfortable. It took awhile for the notion that he really had saved and wasn't going to turn her over to someone for money at the earliest convenience to sink in. When they had first gotten aboard the ship they had been absorbed with staying alive, now that had been dealt with Kysha was watching him warily.

Then, when he finally convinced her that he was being honest, she wanted to know why. He was still thinking about that one. He knew exactly why he had done what he had done but explaining it, particularly to a small child, was a different matter. Boba finally decided to just tell her exactly why he had done it. Without, of course, the part about his father. All he needed was for her to start thinking he was crazy. "I was looking for someone to teach. Someone who could learn what I know, about fighting, hunting, everything. You have showed a lot of potential. You are willing to listen, you are brave and you can already shoot very well already. But don't think I am going to try and force you to do what I want. If you don't want me to teach you I will drop you off at any spaceport you like." Kysha looked at him with disbelief evident in her eyes. The mandalorian looked straight back at her, trying to let the honesty of his statement show.

The little human child had dropped her gaze to the floor and thought about it for a while. Then she looked right back at him and there was a fierce light in her face and excitement in her voice. "I want to learn anything that you have to teach me!"

Boba smiled, something he had not done for a while. "Do you know what the word 'adopt' means?"

Kysha rolled her eyes, "Yes, I know what it means. I have a big vocab... vocabu...vo-cab-u-lar-y." She finally managed to say the word by sounding it out syllable by syllable. Then she looked at him, grinning and added, "in several languages."

His eyebrow rose at that and he shook his head slightly. "Uhuh..." Her grin got wider, which the bounty hunter hadn't realized was possible. "I want to adopt you. Do you have an objection?"

She smiled and shook her head after a few seconds consideration.

"_Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad_ ." Then he smiled, "there, now you are my daughter."

She took a deep breath and then smiled at him brightly. "That was... easy!"

"Mandalorians do not stand much on ceremony. I will teach you all about it. But later, now it is time for you to sleep." Kysha's head shot up instantly and she opened her mouth to protest. Then closed it and wrinkled up her nose. "Man! I guess I do have to listen to you now."

Boba laughed as she jumped down and went to the room she had been staying in.

~sw~sw~sw~

Several hours later he stood watching the child sleep, and remembering. When he had been very young; when his father was still alive, this had been his room. He remembered all the days he had sat in this room, out of sight, while his father took in bounties that required live capture. His father had wanted Boba to observe and learn how these things worked but he hadn't wanted his enemies to know that he had a son just yet. Jango Fett had known he had many enemies who would love to kill his son to hurt him. He had also known he could not keep him a secret for the rest of his life, and hadn't intended to. He had just wanted to keep his son safe until he could adequately protect himself. The memory made Boba smile. He was going to protect this girl, his daughter and she was going to grow up and be an even better bounty hunter than him. Closing the door softly he went to his chair and sat down, closing his eyes. It felt good to smile again after so long.

~sw~sw~sw~

The dark figure swept from the room the moment the maintenance droids broke down the door, accompanied by the smell of charred flesh. The pitiful remnant of a man on the ground by the desk raised a quavering hand, "D, don't... h, help me. Please, he, help me. Tr, Trivan!"

The dark man turned, "I would tell you to only address me as Lord Trivan but I don't give advise to dead men." With that Lord Trivan raised his blaster and put the scientist out of his misery.

~sw~sw~sw~

A/N:

Aaaaaaaaaah! I am really sorry that this chapter is so short! And so bad! This one drove me nuts! When I originally wrote it all I had was that third section and then I realized that a) it was waaaaaaaaaaay to short and b) it totally stunk. So I expanded it and decided to give you a reason to hate my villain. If anyone thinks the rating is too low at any point in this story, PLEASE let me know.

Okay now I have a question for my readers (I'm pretty sure I have some? Maybe? Hopefully!) Do you want me to tell you some about Kysha being trained? Or do you just want me to jump to when she is older and occasionally do flashbacks when I feel like it? Review! Let me know! I would really like to have someone's opinion besides my own here. Let me know if I missed any spelling or grammar errors. I am tired of staring at this thing.

Kopy Kat


	10. Thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things I own worth taking are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings. And my dog, although she would argue about who exactly is the boss around here.

A/N:

The first thing I would like to do is I would like to thank all my beautiful reviewers! Especially The Cat Crusader, thank you very much! This wonderful reviewer reviewed practically every chapter and gave me a helpful suggestion so, thank you. And thank you to Drake5, Minne Sota, dr. kitten, and JessGirl.

Ahh! (Runs from readers with pitch forks and torches) I'm really, really sorry this took so long! It took for ever for me to just sit down and write it and then it turned out really short so I'm publishing another chapter right away. In my defense our computer has been acting screwy for awhile and my mom finally got fed up, took every thing off and basically re-built the software part of the computer. I've been wanting to post this for like a week but I couldn't because the computer was still messed up.

Anyway you guys didn't come to hear me to talk so on with the story!

~sw~sw~sw~

Boba was in something of a quandary. He realized now, when he was thinking through how to go about raising a child, that there were disadvantages to living the life of a loner. He did know how to train a Mandalorian, that had been deeply instilled in him long ago.

No, what he didn't know was how to do it nicely. He did not particularly want to give this girl anymore of a reason to hate him but the Mando'a training was not easy. It involved long hours of running, training, learning to fight. The Mando'a seemed to believe that pain in training was a bonus, it toughened you up. Boba didn't know if he should try to bond with her first and then start with the training or do the training first and then see what he could do about being friends.

He decided that the best course of action would probably be to just get the training over with. That way he wouldn't be betraying any kind of trust. He smiled slightly, he remembered his first month of training vividly. He had known as irrefutable fact that his father loved him but through the first month or two he had believed that his father hated him and Boba had come close to wanting to kill him several times. After awhile he had gotten stronger and tougher and realized that this was being done for his own good; but it had taken awhile. Kysha had shown that she was very smart. He hoped that she would figure out he was trying to help her quickly.

The Mando'a bounty hunter checked the display screen and saw they had several hours left before they got to Mandolore itself. He left the control room and went to the captain's quarters. He didn't come in here very often, the place held too many memories of his father, but he kept his private comlink in here; and he would need it for the call he was about to make.

In the room right down the hall Kysha was lying on her back staring at the ceiling. Hoping that she had made the right choice. This was the man who had killed her nanny, she hadn't forgotten that and she didn't intended to but... there was something about him. The little girl wasn't sure what it was but she could feel something different about him. This felt right and she had learned to trust this type of feeling.

But still she lay there wondering what the future held. She had known several Mandalorians already in her short life and she knew that the training was hard. So hard that it was the reason many aruetii never made it to becoming mando'a even if they wanted too, they either died or quit. Then she smiled and relaxed, she knew she was good and she knew this would be hard but she also knew that she could make it. She trusted Boba; she didn't know why but she did. And she was going to prove that she was tough enough to become a mandalorian. But she would never forget or forgive what he had done to her nanny, of that she was certain. With that in mind she fell asleep

~sw~sw~sw~

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry it is so short!


	11. Towns and Talks

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars other than a video game and a book. I do own my character Kysha. Please don't sue me as the only things I own worth taking are my Bible and my copy of Lord of the Rings. And my dog, although she would argue about who exactly is the boss around here.

A/N: As promised, here ya go. As we are still in the process of packing and moving it may be awhile before I up date. Maybe not but probably.

~sw~sw~sw~

They arrived on Mandalore about five hours before the sun would rise and Boba set the ship's security to alert him if anyone left the ship but left it unlock aside from that. He then headed off on his speeder bike.

When he came back three hours later the ship had not yet sent him an alert. He was hoping that was a good thing. When he entered the ship he looked around, nothing was out of place. He didn't really know what he had been expecting but he was glad he hadn't found it. He went to Kysha's room and knocked. She answered almost instantly.

He looked down at the little girl's smiling expectant face and had a feeling he was going to be glad for his ability to maintain a blank face in any situation. For instance right now he had his helmet off because she seemed more at easy when she could see his face, and he was using his training at keeping his face blank. He knew that the mando training was tough and he knew why, it was to ensure that the people who went through it had the best possible chance for survival.

He was thankful that none of his conflicting emotions showed in his voice when he spoke, "Come on. We're going." The little girl grabbed her shoes and slipped them on her feet. Boba hadn't paid much attention to them before but now that he saw them, he realized he need to get her new ones. Then he realized with a start that he would also need to get her clothes, the only ones she had with her were the ones she was wearing.

He decided that since they were going into town first anyway he would see what he could to about clothes and shoes right away. The little girl was ready fast and stood waiting while he gathered what he thought he would need for awhile from the Slave 1. He intended to come back later and move the ship but he didn't want to have it to close to where they would be living. If someone managed to track him down he wanted to have as much warning as possible.

~sw~sw~sw~

The two of them entered the small mando town at about noon. Boba had explained to her that mando'a training was difficult and that they would be staying here for awhile so she could at least begin her basic training. She hadn't had a problem with that but she had immediately started asking questions like 'where are we staying?' and 'how are we getting food?' Again he was struck by how old this child seemed sometimes. And then she would go and said or do or look so childish that he had trouble correlating her two very different attitudes. He told her that he had taken care of it and she shouldn't worry. She frowned at him but didn't pester him further.

By the time they had made it to the door that lead to the place his father's friend lived she had dropped the expression in favor of watching everything around her with interest. He knocked on the door and while waiting for an answer he quizzed Kysha on what she had seen on the way here. He discovered that she was in fact very observant despite her young age, but she still saw some things through the eyes of a child. Before he could go further into this the door opened and Kysha trailed off staring up at the man who stood framed in the doorway. He was of average height and build. Despite the fact that his face was that of a careworn and world weary elder he was still powerful. His weathered face framed by long silver hair, Kysha thought that his eyes looked kind. After a moment's silent inspection she smiled at him. "I'm Kysha. Who're you?"

The man raised an eyebrow at this but put his hand forward and shook her little hand solemnly. "I am Ken. Pleased to meet you."

Kysha cocked her head to one side. "Why? You just meet me, I haven't given you a reason to be happy to know me."

This time the man out right laughed at the earnest expression on her face. "Excellent choice Boba! This little one is already too smart for her own good. Come right in, I have everything ready."

~sw~sw~sw~

A/N: If I still have any readers out there that I haven't scared off or bored to death then please review! Pretty please with a cherry on top!


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